About the Author

Charles Dickens was perhaps the most popular English novelist of the nineteenth century. Born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England in 1812, he had a happy early childhood, which was interrupted when his father was sent to debtors' prison. Young Dickens came to know not only hunger and privation but also the evils of child labor when he had to go to work in a factory at age twelve. After a turn of fortune in the shape of a legacy, Dickens was able to work as an attorney's clerk and newspaper reporter until his first novel, The Pickwick Papers(1837), brought him instant success at age twenty-five. Subsequent works were published serially in periodicals and cemented his reputation as a master of colorful characterization and a harsh critic of social evils and corrupt institutions. His many classic books include Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities, A Christmas Carol, and Bleak House. Dickens married Catherine Hogarth in 1836, and the couple had nine children before separating in 1858, when he began a long affair with Ellen Ternan, a young actress. Despite the scandal, Dickens remained a public figure, appearing often to read his fiction. He died in 1870, leaving his final novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, unfinished.

Distinguished writer, teacher, and critic Frederick Busch is the author of more than twenty works of fiction, including North, Girls, and The Mutual Friend, a novel about Charles Dickens.

Edward Le Comte (1916-2004) was professor of English at the State University of New York at Albany, and he also taught at Columbia, his alma mater, and the University of California at Berkley. He was the author of more than twenty books, including novels, a biography of John Donne, and two memoirs. His specialty, both in teaching and in numerous influential articles and books, was Milton.

Reviews

"The greatest writer of his time."—Edmund Wilson

"One of the great poets of the novel, a genius of his art."—Edgar Johnson

"All of his characters are my personal friends—I am constantly comparing them with living persons and living persons with them, and what a spirit there was in all he wrote."—Leo Tolstoy

The inimitable Martin Jarvis brings his talents to bear on Charles Dickens's classic in an audiobook that will delight listeners with its superb recreations of gritty 19th-century London. To escape Mr. Bumble and life in the workhouse, Oliver flees to London where he meets the Artful Dodger and becomes embroiled with Fagin's ragtag band of thieves. Jarvis simply dazzles: his performance captures both the humor and sorrow of the text, his narration is crisp, and his characterizations-his rendition of the terrifying district magistrate, Mr. Fang, is particularly memorable-are as varied as they are energetic, befitting, and enjoyable. (June) Copyright 2010 Reed Business Information.

Gr 6 Up-This adaptation is well done. The pictures and panels match the tone of the story of one orphan boy's struggle to survive, and the text maintains enough of the classic for readers to understand Oliver's plight. Readers will especially like the character portraits on the inside and back covers. The art clearly defines the difference between good and evil in the story. This version opens the readership to a younger or reluctant reader audience as Dickens is long and challenging for many students.-Jessica Lorentz Smith, BendSenior High School, OR (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

"The greatest writer of his time."-Edmund Wilson

"One of the great poets of the novel, a genius of his art."-Edgar Johnson

"All of his characters are my personal friends-I am constantly comparing them with living persons and living persons with them, and what a spirit there was in all he wrote."-Leo Tolstoy